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London to Kyrenia by Train and Bus
Monday 6th August
(Vienna)
After a good night's sleep and
probably a better breakfast than I had at any of the hotels so far
(one of the advantages of travelling First Class), I arrived at
Vienna about an hour and a half late. That actually worked out for
me, as my hotel room was ready for me by the time I got there, so I
checked in straight away and had a shower and freshen up. Still no
laundry service for my shirts, however. No problem with my
unmentionables as I can do those in my bathroom sink, but at the
present rate I'll be shirtless by the time I get to Istanbul if I
don't get it sorted.
On the cards tonight is an evening
tour of the city followed by a ride on the Ferris Wheel (well you
have to, don't you?) and a Viennese evening at a local tavern in the
middle of the Viennese woods. (Cue music.)
The wheel was built in 1897. It was
largely destroyed by fire and bombs in the second world war, but was
considered to be such a landmark of Vienna, that it was restored
soon after 1945.
The evening at the tavern was
excellent. The meal was good, although my first sampling of
sauerkraut left a lot to be desired. Our wine was served in half
pint (although in deference to our masters in Europe perhaps they
were quarter litre) beer mugs. A much more civilised way of having
your wine. The music was even better, being the Strauss fare that I
expect is organised specially for the tourists. Tomorrow night I'm
going to a "proper" Strauss concert, so I should be able to compare.
Tuesday 7th August (Vienna)
Another day another bike ride. This
is the last one on my trip. We are not done with boats yet, however.
We still have one in Budapest and a couple in Istanbul. If I greet
you with a "Yo Ho Ho" and a "Shiver me Timbers" you'll know why!
The bike tour started in the shadow
of the great wheel, and was a whistle stop tour of the major
attractions of the city. There are only 6 million inhabitants of
Austria, but until just after the second world war its empire was
one of the key players in the world, and there national monuments
and buildings built in the late 19th century reflect this.
This evening I went for a "typically Viennese"
dinner. It consisted of veal (why has this gone out of fashion
in the UK?) followed like last night by apple strudel. You'd
think that with all the yummy pastries available they'd be a bit
more adventurous with their puds! Then on to the Kursalon for an
evening of Viennese music.
If you're looking for things to do before
you die, add this to your list. A Viennese orchestra playing
Viennese music in a Viennese concert hall. I had a really
good seat, being in the second row from the front. The
program consisted mainly of Strauss and Mozart, and had most
of the popular light classics, "Voices of Spring", "Rondo a
la Turke", Overture to "The Marriage of Figaro", "Einen
Kleinen Nachnusic" and the "Blue Danube". The encore
consisted of "Radetsky" and a waltz version of the Harry
Lime theme. A truly wonderful evening.
(Sorry about the picture quality of
the last two pictures. It was dark when I got to the
Kursalon, and flash photography was not allowed during
the concert. So to give you an idea, I've photographed a
couple of illustrations from the brochure.
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